Refrigerator door



Patented Apr. 1 1952 UNITED STATES AT OFFICE REFRIGERATOR DOOR Lawrence A. Philipp, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Nash-Kelvinator Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Maryland 1 Claim.

This invention relates generally to refrigerators and more particularly to refrigerator cabinet doors.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved composite refrigerator door of a structural character such that high heat conducting, low cost materials can be used in its construction without increasing heat transfer between the several parts of the door.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved composite refrigerator door rear panel made principally of inexpensive, high heat conducting materials so arranged and connected together as to oppose heat transfer between the several parts of the door and between the door and the refrigerator cabinet proper.

A further object of the invention is to provide a door of the above mentioned structural character in which a gasket covering a joint of a composite door panel also functions to decrease passage of cooled air into contact with the outer and adjoining surfaces of the refrigerator adjacent the door.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of a refrigerator having an access door embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross sectional view of the refrigerator cabinet, taken along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in elevation of an inner lower corner of the refrigerator door; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the door, taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

In the drawings, the numeral 20 designates generally, a refrigerator cabinet having a storage compartment access opening closed by a door 22 which may be hung on the cabinet by suitable hinges 24. The cabinet 20 comprises, in general, an outer casing 26 and a liner 28. Sheet metal or other suitable material may be used to make the casing and to make the liner. Heat insulation 30 is preferably interposed between the liner 28 and the casing 28 to decrease heat leakage into the interior of the cabinet or into the food storage compartment formed by the liner 28. A front wall frame 32 may be provided to support and reinforce the casing 26 and may be welded or be otherwise secured thereto.

At the cabinet door opening, the liner 28 is flanged outwardly, as at 34, and the casing 26 is flanged inwardly, as at 35. These casing and liner flanges 32, 34 terminate in spaced relation to each other and are spanned and connected together by temperature breaker strips 38 which together with the casing and liner flanges form a substantially flat front Wall around the door opening. The casing flange 32 may be formed with an inwardly facing retainer channel 40 to receive and retain outer margina1 portions of the tem perature breaker strips 38 and clips 42 may be provided to attach the breaker strips 38 to the liner 28. These clips 42 may be formed with a reversely bent spring portion 43 to receive frictionally a flange 44 formed on the liner 28. Screws 45 or other suitable means may be provided for securing the clips 42 to the breaker strips 38.

The door 22 comprises, in general, an outer casing 58 and a door back or rear panel 52. These are arranged and connected together to form a hollow door wherein suitable heat insulation 54 is preferably provided to decrease heat leakage through the door. Carried by the door 22 and extending along and adjacent its outer edge is a continuous gasket 56 which is arranged to engage the cabinet casing inturned flange 36 to seal the door opening. The gasket 56 may be made of any suitable material, such as rubber.

Preferably, the door casing 50 is made of an inexpensive sheet material, such as, sheet steel. This door casing 50 is preferably formed with top, bottom and sides along which extends an inturned, continuous stiffening flange 58 which also receives and carries the gasket 56. The flange 58 is preferably offset forwardly, as at 65, to stiffen it and to provide a relieved seat and attachment surface for the seal or gasket 56. Spaced apertures in the offset flange portions 60 are adapted to receive fasteners, preferably snap-in clips 62 which extend through apertures in a base portion 64 of the gasket 56 to fasten the parts together.

In accordance with my invention, I make the door rear panel 52 composite in construction in the interests of low cost construction without undue transfer of heat between this panel and the outer casing to which it is connected. To this end the panel 52 comprises, a central panel member 65 of inexpensive sheet metal, such as low grade sheet steel and a panel extension 68 of low heat conductive material, such as a phenolic plastic. To facilitate assembly of the door, the panel extension 68 is preferably made of a number of parts comprising, a top horizontal strip, a bottom horizontal strip 13, and connecting side strips I4. These strips cooperate in forming a frame-like temperature break between the centra1 panel member 66 and the casing flange 58 which overlaps with the extension breaker strips as shown in Fig. 2. An outer marginal portion of the breaker strip or extension engages under and is held by an outer lip portion 16 of the door gasket 56 so that the rear panel floats in the gasket and is free to expand and contract without danger of warping.

The size of the central, sheet metal panel member 66 is made such that its outer peripheral edge terminates slightly outwardly of the cabinet door opening when the door is closed. This panel member 66 has an outer marginal portion therearound in overlapped relationship with inner marginal portions of the breaker strips. At these overlapped joints, screws 82 or other suitable fasteners may be employed to secure the strips to the sheet metal panel member 66. The breaker strips may be attached together and their joints covered by clips 15.

Further, in accordance with my invention, I provide a'combination seal and air flow restrictor or baflle member 84. The member 84 is arranged to seal the joints between the overlapping portions of the metal panel member 66 and its extension or breaker strips and projecting toward the front face of the cabinet, bailles or restricts flow of air from the storage compartment to the space between seals. Outwardly of the screws 82, the metal panel member 66 is outwardly offset to provide a flange 86 therearound which stifiens the panel 66 and this flange 86 is embedded in the body of the seal 84. This seal may be made of rubber or other suitable material and is formed with an inwardly extending lip which overlies and conceals the screws 82. Preferably, the seal 84 is continuous and extends toward and into close proximity with the outer surface of the cabinet breaker strip 38 substantially to close the space outwardly thereof from the interior of the cabinet. This substantially L prevents passing of cooled air from the cabinet to outer marginal surfaces of the cabinet and door and thus reduces temperature loss and also decreases condensation on said surfaces.

From the foregoing description, it will be noted that I have provided an improved composite refrigerator door which may be principally constructed of inexpensive, high heat conducting materials without undue transfer of heat between inner and outer surfaces of the door. In addition, it will be noted that I have provided a seal for the joints of a composite door panel which in addition to sealing the joints, conceals panel member fasteners and projects from the panel to substantially close the space between the door and the front of the cabinet proper to prevent condensation on the cabinet end door walls outwardly of the seal. By spacing the seal 84 slightly from the breaker strip 38 it breaks up air flow to and from opposite sides thereof and because it is not in contact with the breaker strip there is no conduction between these parts.

Although only a preferred form of the invention has been illustrated, and that form described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

In a refrigerator cabinet .door, an outer door casing having an inturned flange portion, a door inner panel having an outer peripheral edge spaced inwardly from said casing flange portion, a heat breaker panel extending between and overlapping edge portions of said casing flange portion and of said door inner panel, means including a cabinet seal holding said heat breaker panel adjacent the outer periphery thereof to said door casing flange portion, an offset flange on the outer eripheral edge of said door inner panel spaced from and overlying the outer surface of said heat breaker panel, a fastener securing said door inner panel and said heat breaker panel together adjacent said offset flange, and a sealing member engaging the outer surface of said heat breaker panel embedding said offset flange and having a lip overlying and concealing said fastener.

LAWRENCE A. PHILIPP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Oct. 26, 1939 

